Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show features Drake diss track, Samuel L. Jackson cameo

There was never a question what Kendrick Lamar’s era-hopping Super Bowl LIX halftime show was building up to.

For the past nine months, Lamar’s“Not Like Us” has been the pop-culture anthem, the gem of the rapper’s decade-long feud with Drake, which reached a fever pitch with the song’s release last spring.

It was a matter of when, not if, Lamar would perform the ruthless diss track at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Lamar began with “Squabble Up” and cruised through a medley of his biggest hits, including “HUMBLE,” “Loyalty” and “All the Stars.”

He had help from Samuel L. Jackson, who interjected throughout the show with an Uncle Sam impersonation; Serena Williams, who danced on the stage; and SZA and Mustard, who performed cameos.

Dancers in red, white and blue contributed to the stylish scene, at one point surrounding Lamar in an image resembling an American flag.

And when Lamar finally got to “Not Like Us,” a capacity crowd roared in unison.

There was no earth-shattering surprise, like some had speculated Lamar would deliver.

Taylor Swift, who features Lamar in her “Bad Blood” remix, was in the building to cheer on her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. She did not perform with Lamar like some overly optimistic fans had prayed for.

But Sunday marked the fiercest salvo yet in Lamar’s spat with Drake, who was halfway across the world for a tour stop in Australia.

The NFL selected Lamar as its Super Bowl halftime show performer in September, four months after “Not Like Us” came out.

The song peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart, giving Lamar his fifth No. 1 single. In November, Lamar released a surprise album, “GNX,” that topped the Billboard 200 chart, giving him his fifth No. 1 album.

“I think I’ve always been very open about storytelling through all my catalog and my history of music,” Lamar said Thursday at a press conference. “I’ve always had a passion about bringing that on whatever stage I’m on.”

Sunday’s performance continued a momentous month for Lamar, who won five awards at last week’s Grammys, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year for “Not Like Us.”

Lamar became the first rapper to be the solo headliner of a Super Bowl halftime show.

In 2022, he was a guest performer at the hip-hop-centric halftime show in Los Angeles, where Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Eminem were among the others to take the stage.

Lamar and SZA are set to begin a tour in April, with a pair of concerts scheduled at MetLife Stadium on May 8-9.

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